Page 78 of The Fireman and the Flirt

“Derek. Good to see you again, bro!” Chad clapped him on the shoulder.

“Nah. I’m just fucking with you guys.” Derek smiled and shook his head.

The broad shoulders of the Morris brothers slumped. They slunk away, presumably under the bridge where they’d been hiding.

“Couldn’t resist doing that.” Derek entered our cube and sat on my desk. Usually, I would invite him into a conference room, but we’d broken down so many client-agent walls already.

“Derek, do you know anyone who might be thinking of buying or selling a house in the new year? We’re having a referral party,” Hannah said.

“Not off the top of my head. But I’ll give it some thought.” Derek glanced at me while he spoke. The sexual tension flared between us, but also something more romantic. “That’s a nice shirt, Cary.”

“Thanks. I bought it myself.”

“You have good taste.”

“I know I do.”

“Someone’s cocky this morning,” Derek said, his voice dropping to a growl.

“Okay. That’s it.” Hannah put down her coffee. “How long has this been going on?”

“What?” I asked, feigning innocence.

“Oh stop. People don’t banter like this unless you’ve seen each other naked.” Damn, she was good. Hannah had the ability to suss out the truth from her small children with only a stern look. It seemed those powers transferred here, too.

“We’re not breaking any rules,” I sputtered out. “I’m allowed to have sex with my clients.”

I clamped a hand over my mouth. There were times when I could be smooth and operate in the real world. This was not one of them.

Derek rubbed my back. “What Cary means to say is that yes, we’ve been intimate.”

Hannah’s eyes burst open in surprise. “Cary!”

“I’m sorry. It just happened. Over and over and over again.”

“If it’s any consolation, Cary tried his best to resist.” Derek interlocked our fingers. “I couldn't. Your business partner is just too damn cute.”

I gazed up at him, and he gazed back. And the offices of PRG melted away for a moment.

Hannah’s face softened.

“Are you mad?” I asked her.

“Are you still planning to close on the twenty-ninth?”

“Yes.”

“Of course I’m not mad!” She playfully smacked my arm. Playfully, but with some force behind it. She probably was also relieved that this didn’t mess up the sale.

“Would it be all right if I borrowed your business partner for a second?” Derek massaged my shoulder, his firm grip soothing me.

Hannah nodded yes. “In between all your fawning all over each other, think about anyone you know who might be in the market for a house.”

“I will.” Derek leaned down close to my ear. “Is there a conference room we could go to?”

“Uh huh.” My first thought was that we were going to fuck on a conference table, but then I realized my life wasn’t a total porno. Only occasionally.

I walked us down the hall with a feeling that Derek was checking out my ass the whole time. I might have put in an extra shake in my step to give him a show.

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